YORKSHIRE LETTER

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 203, 16 May 1918, Page 8

YORKSHIRE LETTER

SHORTAGE OF COMBING WOOL

AND THE CONSEQUENCES

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

, Bradford. March ii. J.'lie_wool tcxlilo iuu'ush-y has nt last arrives! at tiie stago ■wlitu the future of employniwil lor operatives n> hiuing to be awioitily considered, and steps are being tuium to deal witn the ciuostion ia a pnicitoiil manner. Larger supplies of coiubnig wool tp obvinto the present slioi'tago would liavo been very weicomn. rt'lml annoys commission combers and topinakers is that thoso responsible wero warned about making adequate provision for (ili semions of tlie trado as far back as list' August, but evidently they did not wake up to the urgent requirements of tho combing industry until it w.is too late. There is a good deal about the present scheme of State control which the outeide world will never know, and it will be it case of where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise. But that does not.rim combs,'spindles, and looms; mon, women, and children requiring something nioro tangible from \fhich to supply tneir inner needs. Of course, everybody is prepared to moke-willing sacrifices, but it needed no Solomon to see llmt with a big consumption oi combing wools for military purpose/, t'jjere should havo been brought home fire bales of this cine of wool to one of faulty stuff. War or no war, everybody, knows that in London after the day sales we usually saw catalogued very big quantities of short, fauity, clothing merinos, j whioh were only suitable for the woollen trade, and theso short faulty wools have all been accumulating since last April, when there was bound to be in the natural order of things some big supplies of this class of staple.

A Levy to be Paid. The outstanding subject in the textile world to-day is that ■ .of levies. They have existed in the Lancashire, cotton Irade now for tho past six weeks to two months, and the principle there recognised of the strong helping tho weak is to bo followed throughout the woollen and worsted industries. Everybody recognises that there is going to be no shortage in the woollen trade, and where there are adequate supplies and a full plant running, both masters and men should contribute something towards helping those who are less favourably situated.

It will be remembered that at the last Board of Control n, sub-committoo was formed to go thoroughly into this question, and to decide upon what measures should be adopted. That committee has bow sat and arrived at the general principles upon which a levy is to lie laiii, and ag conditions in the wool textile trade are. different to those of the cotton trade, the principle upon which a levy is to be laid is on tne number of hands employed, not oil the epindles running. That is the broad principle. There are still details to be settled, but it is expected at the Board of Control meeting Tuesday that the entire scheme will be approved, m which those operatives who arc forced to play on nocount of a want of ooiablag wool will receive material assistance. Wo fully expect that all the funds of tho trade will bo pooled, that each firm will report weekly the number of hands unemployed, and that each one will receive a percentage proportion of the wages which they would have earned Had they been working full time. Should the Woollen Trade Help the Worsted? We fully expect that some members: of the woollen trade will raieo objeotion i to contributing anything under a system j of levies for tho purpose of helping the; worsted industry, the contention being, that there is. very littio in common be. ; tween tho two trades. But that is ' not! the verdict of the mnjority, and as we: are living in war times, and there being i adequate provision in the shope of raw i material for the woollen trade, it is only ! right that where employment is good and i profits satisfactory mttfinf'aclurerg should | help their less fortunate friends in tlio ' worsted industry. Then again it wiil! only mean handing over a certain propor- j tion of surplus profits instead of paying j them in excess war-profits, and after all! it will nay a firm infinitely hotter to keep their whole plant running and pay 60 much on the number of hands employed than see a proportion of tho machinery stand and not pay something. The war has undoubtedly brought the two sections of the. trado into oloser. touch than over before, and certainly it is time that throughout the entire industry a still closer spirit of comradeship existed. Among wool combers there | is also anything , but a satisfied feeling, j due to the shortage of combing wool, ; and hero again supplies will have to be j apportioned out as quickly as possibio; j but the outstanding feature of all is that! a principlo is to btl recognised by both ! masters and mon which can only uxist I under present war conditions. j Noil Prices. { For the first time since the trade be-1 came controlled the Department have i thought fit to issue a list of noil prices, i It is officially stated that the price of! merino noils issued by the Department, i beginning last December, 1917, uutii j under further notice, it based on the fol- j lowing prices: iVs, 36d.; 64's, 87d.; Gfl's, j l)sd. These prices-are for average quail-1 ties only. Whore noils are inado from j wools of superior character and quality \ they irill be valued according to their \ merits. This throws a vory interesting j sidelight onan iinportarit section of ihe j wool textile industry. Headers may not know that al! crossbred noils are being disposed of by the Department direct to its own manufacturers, being used either iii the production of military fabrics or standard cloths. A fair proportion is also being exported by the Department direct to Government manufacturers in France, hence the civilian trado is receiving practically no crossbred noils whatever. Thos9 which are most seedy nro being carbonised ois behalf of tho j Department, all carbonisers now being ; compelled to work for the Department, i It must be candidly admitted tiiui the j issuo prices of merino noils aro very reasonable. Average lil's noils were quoted last week at ss. •lα., but oi uourso these had been rejected by the. department and were "free." A littio lot of u'uearbonised merino noils was actually soid at ss. 7d., and it tho Government noild aro at all decent and will do without carbonising, lo be handed out to I anprovcd buyers at 3s. hi. per lb. i for lid's, is most reasonable iudeed. | Soinc very strong complaints '"aye been made lately at the Department failing to carry out its original agreement to send out to warehouses supplies of merino noils, but during tho past fortnight many firms have received fair allocations, and no doubt they have carried out their programme as quickly as circumstances would let them.

/ Export of Textiles. It is now » fact 'that no export whatever tan be made to any port or destination other than British ■ possessions and protectorates except under special license from the War Tradu Department. 11l fact, exports even to Canada cannot be made in the sha|» of wool, tops, noils or wastes without a special Government permit, though wo hardly think tilings linve gone so far as that piece goods cannot bo shipped without a license, Originally the stoppage of export was lor the y>urpoM> of controlling the t;hlpment ot goods to Scandinavia and the. Netherlands, it being ascertained that Britishmade fabrics were ictually finding their way into Germany. Tho stoppage of this was soon effected, and nothing in the shape,of wearing apparel has been sent noross the North Sen for many months. Practically all mills are standing ror want of raw materinl in Iho countries named, there being no doubt that Germany cither by ono way or another lias managed to obtain considerable supplies of textiles from countries adjoining the FatliPrland. All export is to-day being continued under very difficult conditions, but we see no harm in allowing goods to bn shipped to tho Far East and South America. South Africaji -wool can no longer be shipped to Japan without a license, it now being ascertained that considerable quantities have been shipped from Japan to Bussia which no doubt have, found their vinj into Germany. However, our authorities have now realised tho position, ind have wisely stopped supplies except to approved firms, it not beinjj sufficient lo control the destination.